Battlefield Britain

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Father and son team Peter and Dan Snow make a charismatic pair of presenters in Battlefield Britain, an excellent documentary series from the BBC examining key battles on British soil throughout that kingdom's turbulent history. These eight episodes on three discs cover two thousand years of British history, starting with Boudicca's Revolt against the Romans in A.D. 61, up to the Battle of Britain in 1940. They take a tag-team approach, with Peter as the knowledgeable professor-type guide who presents an overview, and Dan as the reenactor who experiences the events firsthand at the level of the individual soldier (for example, making a forced march through the night with a pike in episode 5, to see what it was like for the soldiers at the battle of Naseby). The Snows' engaging presentation style is key to the success of this fascinating series, and their enthusiasm for the subject of history is easily conveyed. They serve as virtual tour guides, filming on location and giving detailed descriptions of exactly who was where, how they moved, and what happened. This may sound obvious but it's surprising how many other documentaries neglect to do this. As a result, this approach, combined with a clever use of computer graphics for the re-enactments, succeeds in bringing the events to life in an engaging and easily-understandable way. Interviews filmed with actors playing the parts of those involved in the battles actually do little to help and come off as an idea that doesn't really work. But that aside, Battlefield Britain emerges as a fresh and innovative series that carves out its own unique niche among the catalog of military documentaries. Here's hoping this model of presentation gets carried on to other battlefields. --Daniel Vancini

Description

Britain is a country that has been forged by centuries of warfare. Each episode charts one key battle which could have gone either way, and did much to shape the nation that Britain is today. Dynamic father-and-son team Peter and Dan Snow, together with historical renactors, give the soldiers perspective on what it must have been like to ride, march, fly and sail into battle. Episodes include: Boudicca's Revolt, The Battle of Hastings, Battle for Wales, Spanish Armada, Battle of Naseby, Battle of the Boyne, Battle of Culloden, and the Battle of Britain.

DVD Features:
Biographies:Presenter bios
Documentary:Previously unreleased BBC documentary: War Walks: Bosworth
Other:Historical timeline

Customer Reviews:

Battlefield Britain.......2007-01-15

A great series for any world history teacher. I like the fact that it has multiple was of displaying the battlefield as well as giving background information of the battles. I plan on using a clip of the series for one of my lesson plans.
A good series!

Excellent general audience appeal.......2006-11-12

I am an amature military historian. I have long experience in wargaming with miniatures, and recent experience "on the field" in my 11th century AD "kit", reenacting the battle of Hastings. So when my friend loaned me his copy of Battlefield Britain, I had come fresh from the battlefield myself. Seeing reenactors snarling and screaming ("in extremis") made my recent experiences seem all the more like having participated in the making of an epic movie. The reenactor spots in the eight battles naturally caught my attention and greatest interest. The CGI armies only less so, because I could see that the animation is not big budget calibre: but looking at the CGI battle scenes as though they are animated wargames armies worked for me. I especially enjoyed the "magic map" case of Peter Snow, which shows the armies moving across the immediate terrain into contact.

Aside from the graphics, the content is good (mostly accurate) history and easily understood, because the writing and speaking is so clearly rendered. This is a very crisp history course. It moves. Seen one after another, there is some repetition in the delivery, but I liked it better when I watched only one or two at a time and "chewed" on what I had just been shown.

Nice attempt at recreating war.......2006-11-11

How does one convey the experience of war? Other than putting one in battle, it's difficult. This series does quite well in its short segments. And that is my biggest complaint - that each battle coverage is too short. Yet given their time constraints, they do an excellent job. The weakest point is that some of their modern explorations of the past equipment and experiences are a bit superficial - the tacking against the wind, for instance. But these are only a small proportion of the total time spent. My biggest wish is that each segment had been twice as long. It's very good stuff!

Keep the remote handy.......2006-08-14

My minor complaint is the inclusion of the faux computer screen titles. I can only guess that these are intended to appeal to young children who like video games. My major complaint is the ad-libbed interviews with actors representing warriors. For me, they are unbearable, and I can only stand to watch this if I make heavy use of the mute button. These actors have about as much insight into what the battles were really like as CSPAN callers have about how to run the country.

Strip away these two items and the show, while nowhere near as stunning as Simon Schama's _History of Britain_, would be worth watching.

Battlefield Britain.......2006-07-17

I first saw this series on SBS in Australia. Alas, it was not available in our region so I had to go international to get the DVD.
It's a rollickingly good documentary about warfare fought on British battlefields with commentary from a wise old sage, Dan Snow and his son. I preferred the analysis of Dan Snow rather than his son's comments about the 'human perspective' of war.
The best parts are the computer simulations that occur on a portable battlefield Dan Snow brings with him to the actual battlesite. Really brings the tactics of moving army formations to life.
Great DVD.

Battlefield Series 6: War Against The U-Boats

Average customer rating:

Battlefield Series 6: War Against The U-Boats

Manufacturer: Eagle Rock Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

World War II | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video
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Description

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